DraftKings, FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Picks (12/17/21): Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice

The top NBA DFS lineup picks for DraftKings, FanDuel on December 17, 2021. Max Kulish's daily fantasy basketball advice, sleepers and value plays for DFS.

Happy Friday RotoBallers! As usual, we have a jam-packed Friday night slate, filled with some juicy matchups. These articles focus on the overall best plays, which are typically more suited for cash games. However, with larger slates like this one, you don't have to worry about ownership getting steamed up too hard usually, so consider these suggestions GPP viable as well (some exceptions may apply).

This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 12/17/21. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lineups lock.

As always, feel free to follow my Twitter (@Maxadelphia), to keep up to date with NBA news and for my nightly NBA bets if you're into that sort of thing. Let's go!

Guards - DraftKings, FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Damian Lillard - PG, POR vs CHA ($9,300 DK, $8,700 FD)

Lillard has admittedly been pretty inefficient since returning from injury, but I think there's valid reasons to look past that. For starters; his game environment. The Hornets allow the most points per game, and this game has an otherworldly over/under line of 230.5 at the time of writing. The second reason is sheer volume. Fantasy production across all sports heavily correlates with opportunity, and Lillard has taken 69 shots in his last 3(!) games. If Lillard continues to be inefficient sheer volume alone should keep him from sinking your lineups, but if he does manage to have a good game with a similar level of volume he could be the true slate breaker tonight.

Gabe Vincent - PG, MIA @ ORL ($4,900 DK & FD)

Vincent appears to be the biggest beneficiary in the wake of injuries to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. In his best game of the season, he put up 26 points, a career-high seven 3's made, and 36 DK points on Wednesday against the Sixers. If Tyler Herro sits again, Vincent figures to be underpriced. If Herro does play, this play obviously gets a little thinner (and a lot more appealing for GPPs), but given Vincent's level of play and their opponent, I figure he should still see a good enough run to return value.

Davion Mitchell - PG/SG, SAC vs MEM ($3,600 DK, $4,700 FD)

With De'Aaron Fox ruled out Friday night after being placed in Covid protocol Thursday, Mitchell is primed for a breakout game. Having put up 22+ DK points in 4 of his last 5 games, Mitchell had already been producing while sharing minutes with Fox, and barring a blowout he should easily clear 33+ minutes in this game. Mitchell shapes up to be major chalk tonight, but all signs point to this being good chalk.

Others to consider: Anfernee Simons ($5,200 DK $5,800 FD), Stephen Curry ($11,400 DK $9,900 FD), Malik Monk ($4,400 DK, $4,500 FD)

Want more NBA DFS tools and content? Our NBA Premium package includes our daily DFS Cheat Sheets, Research Station, Optimizer, and access to our Premium Slack Chatrooms where members can chat with our NBA analysts. Check out this big win from RotoBaller premium member Bsuperak on FanDuel using our Premium tools - join in on the winning!

Forwards DraftKings, FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Picks

LeBron James - PF, LAL @ MIN ($10,400 DK, $11,000 FD)

A little more than a month ago the Wolves laid a 24 point smackdown on the LeBron-less Lakers in LA. In that game, Russel Westbrook was a game-worst -32. Tonight's game will not feature a healthy Westbrook, which should translate to LeBron being the full-time ball-handler. After an average (by LeBron standards) game @ Dallas on Wednesday, we catch him at a $700 price decrease on DK. With legitimate triple-double upside, this shapes up to be one of LeBron's best spots all year.

Khris Middleton - SF, MIL @ NOP ($6,700 DK, $7,700 FD)

The Bucks' continue to deal with a myriad of missing players for a number of reasons. Missing reigning Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was placed on the Covid list on Tuesday, and Bobby Portis followed suit last night. With two high-profile scorers sitting this contest out, Middleton figures to be the premier scoring option for the defending champs on Friday night. Middleton missed the Bucks' last game against the Pacers and caught a $700 price deduction as a result, which seems a bit too aggressive of a response.

Chuma Okeke - SF/PF ORL vs MIA ($3,600 DK, $3,900)

Okeke was already on the radar after making his first start of the season Wednesday vs Atlanta and putting up a respectable 19 DK points in 32 minutes at near stone minimum. However around noon Friday (good thing this article came out later than usual, huh?) the Magic placed Terrence Ross, RJ Hampton, and Mo Wagner all on the Covid list. Okeke directly competes with Ross and Wagner for playing time, and at this point, I imagine he should clear 35+ minutes barring blowout. The Magic are not a sexy team, and I think as a result; I'm willing to make Okeke my favorite GPP play tonight as a 1-off salary saver.

Others to consider: Franz Wagner ($6,300 DK $5,700 FD), Jayson Tatum ($9,000 DK, $9,600), Dillon Brooks ($6,400 DK, $6,200 FD)

Centers - DraftKings, FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Nikola Jokic - C, DEN @ ATL ($12,000 DK, $11,600 FD)

After a slow start to the season, the reigning MVP has come to life in a big way over the past month and has inserted himself in the MVP conversation for this year as well. After achieving a triple-double (or damn close to it) in six straight games, the only player in the league playing on the same level as Jokic right now is Stephen Curry. Jokic has the highest floor on the slate, and always offers slate-winning upside so ride the hot hand, regardless of matchup.

Tristan Thompson - C, SAC vs MEM ($3,800 DK, $4,300 FD)

Fool me once; shame on you, fool me twice....? Last Friday I got the Thompson - Alex Len coinflip of who would replace Richaun Holmes' production wrong. However, that is not a worry this week! Holmes is still dealing with his eye issue, and the Kings placed Len on the Covid list last night. Along with Marvin Bagley III, who was placed on the Covid list on Wednesday, the Kings are extremely thin in their frontcourt. Thompson seems to be the last man standing, so at the risk of being embarrassed again, I'm going to take one out of Khloe Kardashian's playbook and place my trust in Thompson.

Others to consider: Jaren Jackson Jr. ($6,700 DK, $6,400 FD), Robert Williams ($4,800 DK, $5,300 FD), DeMarcus Cousins ($3,100 DK, $3,700 FD)

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis